More than any film in recent memory, The Retrieval made this reviewer yearn for the subtle softness and subliminal flicker of celluloid, as opposed to digital's sometimes overbearing brightness and clarity.

Mr. Eska’s choices are thoughtful if sometimes studied: the movie is well cast with solid performers, and if the handsome digital images look overly sharp, as if outlined in razor, he consistently makes the most of his limited resources.

Along the way, director Chris Eska provides ample space for his principals to breathe, wisely homing in on the uneasy gaze of the guidance-starved Will, whose struggle will resonate with anyone charged with an unenviable task.

Despite its meager budget, The Retrieval is characterized by its authenticity. The dialogue and attitudes are persuasive in creating both a consistent psychology and a sense of the historical past, without ever lapsing into a flowery 19th century-ness.

While The Retrieval’s sense of place may ultimately be stronger than its sense of purpose, it works as the story of a young boy realizing his agency, and it galvanizes as the story of an independent filmmaker realizing another portion of his medium’s infinite potential.

"The Retrieval", by Chris Eska is a Civil War drama that follows a two assistants of bounty hunters (Ashton Sanders and Keston John) as they"The Retrieval", by Chris Eska is a Civil War drama that follows a two assistants of bounty hunters (Ashton Sanders and Keston John) as they search for and bring back a man (Tishuan Scott) who killed some of their partners in crime. This is a great example of good low-budget film-making. The actors are all good and the story is very interesting. Tishuan Scott especially shines in this movie as the "victim" of the bounty hunters. It is a well-scripted movie that deals with great themes such as race, money, and compassion. However, with the low budget, the look of the film is not on par with the other elements. It has a very low-budge vibe throughout the movie. As the story flows, there are certain characters that don't really serve any purpose but to add sympathy. This is alright, but the movie glances over some of these moments and does not give enough time to show us the real drama behind it. As far as low-budget movies go, this is one of the better ones; but with a low-budget comes a few amateurish flaws. 6/10.…Full Review »